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Valerie Easton
Recent Activity
Hiatus...
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It's autumn as you can see from the bouquet above - time to reassess, move forward, change direction, start anew. For me, it's time to take a hiatus from this blog. But not without thanking readers and advertisers and commenters,... Continue reading
Posted Sep 10, 2014 at Plant Talk
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Rhododendron Species Foundation & Bonsai Collection are Staying Put....
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Ever since Weyerhaeuser announced they are selling their Federal Way campus and moving to Pioneer Square, I've been worried about the impact on the Rhododendron Species Foundation and the Pacific Bonsai Museum. Will they survive in their present location? Here's... Continue reading
Posted Sep 4, 2014 at Plant Talk
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A Jet-Setter's Garden Paradise in Morocco
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"Marella Agnelli: The Last Swan" will be published in October by Rizzoli, but there's a satisfyingly long excerpt in the current issue of Vanity Fair. Marella was a friend of the Kennedy's, and the swan in the title refers to... Continue reading
Posted Aug 24, 2014 at Plant Talk
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September Horticultural Happenings - Mark Your Calendar Now
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As surely as our gardens dry out and evenings draw in as autumn approaches, gardening events pop up. Here are three you won't want to miss - coming up in the first weeks of September. First up, on Monday, September... Continue reading
Posted Aug 22, 2014 at Plant Talk
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The Yin and Yang of Summer Bouquets...When Less is More
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Sometimes the summer garden is so overwhelmingly bounteous with all its flowers and squashes that all I want of it in the house is the most simple of bouquets (and herbs and zucchini for the kitchen, of course....). When there... Continue reading
Posted Aug 19, 2014 at Plant Talk
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After the Rain....The Garden is Refreshed
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The gathering evening clouds last week from the deck of the Whidbey Island ferry, hinting at the unsettled weather to come. First the drought, then a deluge. Neither are too good for the garden, especially when it rains hard enough... Continue reading
Posted Aug 16, 2014 at Plant Talk
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Summer Scenes from a Skagit Valley Day Trip....
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I came upon this bursting-with-health clump of brilliant pink monarda (bee balm) in the garden of an old Anacortes farmhouse last week on a day-long trip through the Skagit Valley. I stood on the sidewalk for awhile, enjoying the bees... Continue reading
Posted Aug 14, 2014 at Plant Talk
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This Year's Free Miller Lecture at Meany Hall is on September 11....
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I hope you'll all come...It's hard to believe it's the 20th anniversary of this free lecture, a gift to the gardening public from the Miller Foundation. I'm pretty much retiring from public speaking, but how can you say no when... Continue reading
Posted Aug 11, 2014 at Plant Talk
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Early August Bouquet Fodder, From Dahlias to Yarrow and Hydrangeas
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Is there a greater pleasure than going outside, early in the morning (very early on these hot days) and picking whatever strikes you for bouquets? You're composing in your mind as you stoop low to cut flowers hanging their heads,... Continue reading
Posted Aug 9, 2014 at Plant Talk
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Glorious, Glorious Color - A Color-Sequenced Cutting Border on Whidbey Island
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Remember that rainy Wednesday late in July? I was lucky enough to spend part of that very wet afternoon at Cheryl Kamera's garden on Whidbey Island. Cheryl is an artist who specializes in dying fabrics, and she has a highly... Continue reading
Posted Aug 5, 2014 at Plant Talk
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Beautiful Lettuces and a Sneak Preview of a Miniature Grape Vine...
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The ever innovative Alice Doyle, of wholesale grower Log House Plants in Cottage Grove, Oregon, visited me in Langley a week ago, bringing with her some covetable plants. Alice has been a generous contributor to Langley's City Hall garden, and... Continue reading
Posted Aug 2, 2014 at Plant Talk
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What'll Be Left to Bloom During the Dog Days of August???
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The lilies and everything else bloomed so early this summer that it's hard not to worry about how the garden is going to look in August and September. When the garden looks like this (above) before the end of July,... Continue reading
Posted Jul 31, 2014 at Plant Talk
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Whidbey Gardens Go International....
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An Australian garden photographer, Claire Takacs, stayed with me in Langley this week. She's scouting and photographing gardens to publish in British gardening journals like "Gardens Illustrated" and "Homes and Gardens", one of England's oldest magazines. Claire is one of... Continue reading
Posted Jul 28, 2014 at Plant Talk
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Plant Combinations are About More than Color
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In the wild, plants grow in communities, naturally grouping themselves together depending upon cultural conditions. In our gardens, we try to create the same feeling of harmony between plants. Creating plant combinations is a big part of the artistry of... Continue reading
Posted Jul 26, 2014 at Plant Talk
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Gravel Gardens for Droughty Summers....
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I didn't set out to make a gravel garden, but my back garden plantings kind of crept around the house and spilled out into the driveway. Turns out many plants are tougher than we think they are, surviving the most... Continue reading
Posted Jul 23, 2014 at Plant Talk
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The Lilies are Blooming.....Trumpets and Dragons, Orienpets and Asiatics....
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This is the best lily year I can remember. The dryness and heat has sped up bloom time. It's a lily fest out there, with trumpet and dragon lilies, as well as the Asiatic, Orienpets and Orientals all flowering at... Continue reading
Posted Jul 20, 2014 at Plant Talk
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Sheep and Summer Bouquets, Small & Large...
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By this time of the summer, the makings for big, grand bouquets are right outside your back door. What a luxury to gather armloads of flowers and foliage, pick and choose between roses, lilies, clematis, sweet peas to compose an... Continue reading
Posted Jul 18, 2014 at Plant Talk
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'Roguchi' Clematis, Peruvian Lilies, and the First Hydrangea Blossom....
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Some gardeners feel summer has really (finally) arrived when the first ear of corn ripens, or they harvest their first tomato fresh from the vine.....for me it's all about lilies and hydrangeas. I never feel summer has truly settled in... Continue reading
Posted Jul 14, 2014 at Plant Talk
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The Artistry of Trees in Paint and Words....by Gayle Bard, Evelyn Woods and Satish Kumar
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I was lucky enough to spend a recent morning visiting with painter Gayle Bard in her Bainbridge Island garden and studio for a story I'm writing for Pacific Northwest magazine. I've always loved Gayle's moonscapes (she shows at Linda Hodges... Continue reading
Posted Jul 10, 2014 at Plant Talk
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Meadow Gardening by Mother Nature
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Meadows are the big thing in gardening these days, and they're devilishly difficult to get right in our climate. I wrote a piece for the Seattle Times about the challenges of creating a natural looking meadow; ...It's title? "All that... Continue reading
Posted Jul 7, 2014 at Plant Talk
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4th of July Fireworks, from a Purple-Leafed Vine Maple to the First Lilies
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Happy 4th of July - arent' we thankful the garden's fireworks are quiet, a respite from all the noise going on?? The rain last weekend, followed by sunshine have kicked the garden into high gear for the holiday. The Asian... Continue reading
Posted Jul 4, 2014 at Plant Talk
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The Summer Scene at DIG Floral & Garden on Vashon Island
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How many nurseries are so modern, so inspirational, that every time you stop by you see something new and exciting? DIG (tag line: "get dirty at DIG") is one of that very rare breed and well worth the trip over... Continue reading
Posted Jul 1, 2014 at Plant Talk
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A Garden Writer's Summer Week - Cardiocrinums, Rooftops and Labyrinths
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It's never boring writing about gardens.....As you can imagine, this is the peak time of year for garden visiting. My head is kept spinning with meeting accomplished gardeners, traveling about, seeing new plants and exciting gardens. Here are some of... Continue reading
Posted Jun 28, 2014 at Plant Talk
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Book Case Planter Boxes - A Favorite Langley Scene
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Like books and plants? Visitors to Langley are always taking photos of the planters behind Moonraker Books. I can't blame them; the locally made book planters are one of my favorite scenes in town, and that's saying quite a bit... Continue reading
Posted Jun 25, 2014 at Plant Talk
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All-Star Eastside Gardens Open Their Gates to Support the Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra
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Spent enough time poking around other people's gardens? I thought not....Here's your chance.... This year's "Symphony of Gardens" is offering access to some really spectacular properties. Live music is, appropriately, part of the Sunday, June 29th tour, held from 11... Continue reading
Posted Jun 22, 2014 at Plant Talk
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